In September of 1939, the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany after that country invaded Poland and refused to withdraw its troops. Within days the world was at war. My mother was 6 at the time, and by the time the war in Europe ended, she thought there would be no more need for a radio. In her memory, EVERY radio broadcast was filled with news about the war. Of course, at that time there was no kitchen radio her mother turned on when she prepared breakfast and half listened to all day.

Just over a week ago, Russian forces invaded Ukraine and when I wrote these lines, we don’t know if it is, or is not, about to turn into the biggest conflict since WWII. You can turn on your TV and any time of day or night you can see the active destruction, and feel the fear of the people interviewed. Many of our church families have strong Ukranian roots.

Facebook, Twitter and satellite news has made this conflict real in ways that could not have been imagined in 1939. As an immigrant country, Canada has citizens and landed immigrants from both sides of this conflict, if it could be said, “there are two sides”. This time Germany appears to be on “our side” as is Japan. Soldiers from what is now Ukraine fought on both sides in WWI. I find it interesting how loyalties change over time and mortal enemies become friends or vice versa.

Several weeks ago, a noisy, smelly, convoy of tractor trailers arrived in Ottawa and spent weeks clogging the streets of our nation’s capital, their drivers demanding freedom from the oppression of masks, social distancing, vaccine mandates and a host of other things having nothing at all to do with COVID! Some Canada- USA border crossings were blocked and authorities were scratching their heads as to the best course of action. Many provincial and municipal governments were, and are, forming contingency plans should a similar protest occur anywhere in Canada!

A meme on Facebook recently, showed news footage from Ukraine, of a “convoy” of vehicles, several lanes wide and bumper to bumper, headed “out of town”, trying to leave the “danger zone” and indicated there were no “bouncy castles involved” I don’t suppose there are many outdoor hot tubs in use either! As far as this situation is concerned, nobody is laughing; no one is having any fun! There is no “carnival” atmosphere; it’s truly “life or death” for many. People are losing sleep, but not because of the blaring horns of 18wheelers!

People are sheltering in basements or subway stations. To go outside is to risk being shot as a Russian spy; to stay in is to risk your building being the target of a missile strike and falling down, or burning down, around you. I can’t forget the story of the woman who gave birth in one of the subway stations. I wonder what she expected when she found out she was expecting? How things can change in such a short time! Ukraine is proclaiming this birth as a sign of hope amid an invasion that has taken hundreds of lives, including those of at least 14 children.

Maren Tirabassi, pastor, poet and author from New England, whose books of prayers I have used many times in the past, has written a prayer for the children of Ukraine. Pray with me please.

“God, who always calls the children to you,
we pray for safe sleep, no nightmares,
dreams of doves and falcons
for the children of Ukraine.
May they and their parents rest;
may all people of Ukraine find a place to rest.
May they dream of hope,
and the world dream of courage and peace.
Amen” 

This is the first Sunday of Lent, the season where we journey from the “light” of Epiphany to the “shadow” of the cross. The passages read today tell us of the thanksgiving ritual the people of Israel were told to follow after they entered the land of promise - and remember, this instruction was given before there was even a crop planted. The second passage is an account of the temptation of Jesus.

Most of us are probably familiar, vaguely at least, with the story of the people of Israel wandering in the wilderness for 40 years after escaping from Egypt. We are told that it was during this time that the Ten Commandments were given and the people existed mainly on a substance that came with the morning dew called “manna”. This prescribed ritual presupposed a bountiful harvest, but, they would learn, a harvest for which they had to do considerable work! What this says to me is that the harvest of manna was explicitly a gift of God - all they had to do was gather it and eat it. It went bad in just a few hours (unless it was over the Sabbath) so gathering food was a daily task, a sign of daily trust. When they arrived in the place billed as “the land of milk and honey” they KNEW that they would have to plant their crops, pull weeds, carry water, trim grapevines and protect the plants from predators. They had been in the desert for an entire generation- no trades or knowledge had been passed from one generation to the next.

Despite the work that faced them, this passage reminds then that the harvest will also be a gift from God. Implied in the outline of what is clearly a thanksgiving ritual, is a warning, “do not fool yourselves into thinking you have done it all on your own, even if you have cracked hands, a sore back, and callouses from all the work.” It was, as a colleague of mine used to say, “an attitude adjustment”. Thanksgiving forces us to remember that it’s NOT ALL about us.

When we turn to the Gospel story we have Jesus LED BY THE SPIRIT into the wilderness. He was led into his temptation. We are told that he was tempted by the devil. But make note that the temptations are not about lying, stealing, swearing and adultery, or other things we consider to be “bad things”. These are not temptations to break one of the well-known Ten Commandments, or some obvious “sin”. These temptations have many nuances. These temptations are “trick e e”

It seems clear to me that these temptations are directed to Jesus and his upcoming ministry. In many ways they are about power. Jesus has to decide how he will use any special power. Jesus has to decide if there are limits to the ways he proclaims the “good news”. Jesus had to remember that personal fame and power were not his end goal. His end goal was to show the people the way to abundant life. His ministry was to show the people what trust in God looked like; to show the people that they could soar on the wings of eagles. Like the people of Israel, Jesus had to be in the wilderness to come to these conclusions and gain these insights. Make no mistake, this was no cake-walk; they were hard choices. It was not clear-cut, not cut and dried; there were many things to consider. The account in the gospel of Luke is like the minutes of meeting: short and sweet but they do not tell us why three dilemmas took 40 days to resolve!

I think that what the story of Jesus’ temptation says to us is this: Just because it appears to work does not mean we should do it.

What advice does this story have for communities of faith.

We probably all agree that we want more people in church but the question of how we attract them has many temptations. I know of churches who bribe the Sunday school with chocolate bars. It works like this; if you bring a new child with you, you get a chocolate bar. In the same vein, I know another church who had a “lobster draw” during a special church promotion campaign. They encouraged the congregation to invite people to church and if you brought a friend to church you received a ballot for the lobster draw. I don’t know how many pounds, but more than one person would want to eat at one sitting! Lobster is not as expensive in the Maritimes as it is here (after all, it comes FROM the Maritimes) but it is still considered a luxury. In 2021, the wharf price was really good and the retail price and restaurant price much higher. I did not buy as much as I might have otherwise!

These gimmicks may seem to work, but are they right? One of the children in my Sunday school reacted to the chocolate bar promotion in this way, “she really didn’t want me to come to Sunday school, SHE wanted a chocolate bar.”

Do we, as adults, value our worship experience enough to invite someone else, or do we have to add something to prompt the invitation. Here in Saskatchewan, what would it take; a quarter of beef? A side? 500 gallons of canola oil?

I’m doing a wedding in a few weeks. I’ve done Valentine’s day weddings before but never a March one! When I expressed surprise at the March timing, they gave the quintessential Saskatchewan farmer answer, “It’s before seeding!” Like all farmers, part of their hopes involve a good crop and a good price.

Like all people getting married, part of their hopes include raising a family to love farming, to grow up well, to have a long and satisfying life together. As most people know, they realize that this will not “just happen!” It will take hard work, sacrifice, listening, and asking for and receiving forgiveness and grace. They know that family support is important. I hope they know that the support of the Holy Spirit is also important. I hope that they and their family feel welcome as part of our church family.

We are not in this alone and we have to walk that path between not doing anything and thinking that it ALL depends on us.

Since March of 2020, life in the world has been marked by restrictions and limits. There was a long list of “can’t dos” and a list of precautions. Before 2019 who would have thought that all of the customers in the bank or credit union would be masked and no one would call the police! Who would have thought that we could not do what we wanted as long as we coiuld afford it. As we gradually get back to normal there is a great temptation to just “let loose” and gotge ourselves on our newly recovered freedom? What or who are we forgetting in this pandemic time?

A lot of talk about personal freedoms stops with “me” but what about restrictions on our freedoms for the well being of the vulnerable? I will continue to mask, not just for myself, but primarily for those who are fragile and vulnerable.

We in this church are continuing to encourage masking and we aren’t throwing the doors totally open just yet. We must always remember the basics and be cautious: mask, wash our hands, and STAY HOME if we feel ill. Most of that was common sense in 2018 and it still is!

I frequently see memes on Facebook that promote the opinion that we should not be giving foreign aid (for example) when there are many needs at home. I usually respond with, “I disagree. we can do both”. Part of true thanksgiving is realizing that we are not the author of our own fortune and are called to a generous spirit when it comes to others. Even in the midst of our hard times there are needs in places like Ukraine suffering from war and Tonga sufferimng from natural disasters.

Just about everyone I know who has been in a developing country has commented on the generosity of the people. Lets not let worry about our own well being cloud our generosity in this time.

The journey of Lent calls us to “get away”, to put our own self aside, and take a hard look at the gospel call. It’s an opportunity to begin again, to change our lives. Will you journey with me to the destination of becoming a new creation?

Amen.

Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18
Psalm 27
Luke 13: 31-35

“Go and Tell That Fox!”

When I was very young, we had a henhouse in our backyard. In later years our hens were in a more secure building! I believe the predators my dad worried about, in those early years, were skunks, foxes and raccoons. Raccoons also like to eat plump little bunnies!

My youngest brother raised turkeys from chicks, once or twice, when he was in high school, but we never had hens with their own chicks wandering around the yard. That is the situation I envision as I read the passage from Luke’s gospel for today. When danger is present the chicks run for cover and the hen’s maternal instinct takes over. In these cases the wings become a means of protection, rather than flight.

I read a story many years ago about a grassfire that went through a farmer’s barnyard. When the farmer returned, he saw that one of his hens had died in the fire. He kicked the blackened ball of feathers and out came a half dozen living chicks. The mother’s feathers had protected them from the fire, though she had sacrificed her own life to protect them.

A Red Fox is a beautiful animal; though if you have outdoor chickens you might see one as an annoyance or a danger. Foxes are regarded as sly and cunning. I believe that Palestine has the same kinds of foxes that are found in Canada, vulpes vulpes, and would have brought similar concerns to the farmers there. I’m not sure they needed to trap them for their fur, but maybe it was a status symbol - to have a fur coat.

In today’s passage from Luke, we are told that “Some Pharisees” tell Jesus that Herod wants to kill him. We are not sure if these Pharisees genuinely wanted to warn Jesus or we taunting him with. “Herod is going to get you nanna, nanna, na, na. ....” In Jesus’ response is a reference to Herod as a fox. I suppose by this he means that Herod might think he is cunning and sly like a fox, but Jesus is going to continue on with his ministry and his plan. Herod is not going to intimidate Jesus. Herod is not as smart as he thinks he is! The city of Jerusalem seems to be a metaphor for all the people and power who did not listen to the prophets who attempted to show the people the ways of God. Many prophets met their downfall in Jerusalem; Jesus being in danger there would not be anything new! Jesus knows by now that he will be one in a long line of prophets to meet the same fate. Yet, Jesus must carry on with his ministry, his plan, his mission.

In this passage we meet with a love for the people he is trying to reach; the same love a hen has for her chicks, as a mother for her children. We have seen many examples of the latter as we watch mothers with children fleeing their homes in Ukraine and seeking life and safety in Poland, Estonia, and places farther away.

There are lots of images in the biblical story about God’s spirit being “bird like”. The first one that comes to mind is that of the dove. The first time Noah sent out a dove when the rain stopped, it came back because there was no land yet; there were no trees for a nest. In this case the bird was like God’s messenger, telling Noah when it was safe to leave. The Spirit was said to have descended on Jesus like a dove, at his baptism. The wings of eagles are a symbol of God’s supportive strength in other passages.

My first inclination would not have been to compare Jesus to a chicken, or his love to that of hen for a brood of chicks. But when you look at the ways in which simple barnyard chickens have lived this out, what better example could there be?

What is most striking to me is that this is part of what we term “a lament”. Jesus is deeply sorrowful that he just can’t gather the people together and care for them in the same way a hen shelters her chicks from danger. How many mothers, and fathers too, have lamented that they can’t protect their children from mistakes - both small and large. People who look after children discover that some kids need to find out for themselves that something is dangerous. Some children have to jump out of the tree anyway! Who knows, the laws of physics may have changed since ‘mom’ was little! Some children had to burn their hand on a hot pot anyway. Some children have to find out for themselves.

For generations, the people of Israel have been ignoring the message of abundant life and good news. For generations people have actively killed the messengers sent by God. For generations the prophets have shaken their heads and said, “not again!”. Even though they knew the story of Abraham, who trusted in God’s promises, despite having no evidence, they continued to ignore the message of later prophets.

But are we really all that surprised. 2,000 years later we ignore good advice. We ignore scientific evidence and common sense about the spread of the COVID virus and even the common cold. We ignore evidence and the signs of the approaching change of seasons - so we end up letting our veggies freeze on the vine because of a killing frost or go slip sliding all over the road when we should have our winter tires on, or miss the early bird registration discount for that special event, or the income tax filing deadline or we drive too fast for conditions and end up in the ditch.

When it comes to public budgets, the programs that benefit the marginalized are often the first to go in a financial crisis. In our churches the first thing to go when we hit a financial crisis are the outreach programs that cost money - when what we should be doing is witnessing to the change the love of God has made in our lives? What use are our buildings if we don’t have a ministry to the community?

The journey of Lent is a time to listen to the Good News and make choices and changes in our lives. The message is not new - it’s been the same for 2,000 years. Love God and love neighbour. Live with generous hearts. Pray for the poor and then help the poor. Care for creation.

Jesus shakes his head and thinks, “when will they ever earn, when will they ever learn” when it comes to war and ethnic conflict and the rich taking advantage of the poor.

What we can do is to show that we do listen, we have learned and resolved to live in the way of the prophets and the way of Jesus.

Amen.

2 Corinthians 5: 16-21
Psalm 32

Lent 4 Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32

March 27, 2022

Wasteful Love

A former parishioner told me that when he and his sisters were going through the house after their mother had died, they found a box in his mother’s kitchen, labelled, “pieces of string too short to save”! Perhaps there were similar boxes in at least some Saskatchewan cupboards, belonging to the generation that “saved everything”.

My mother would pride herself in being able to use less fabric than was called for when sewing a garment. She never put in as many nuts or chocolate chips as the cookie recipe called for, because those things were “expensive”. Some recipes tell you how to “stretch” the meat in a recipe, usually the most expensive part of the meal - of course, you can always peel a few more potatoes! I don’t know that my mother saved short string but she saved elastics, bottles, plastic bags, styrofoam meat trays and junk mail for writing grocery lists.

I believe that our “pioneering past” and the “Great Depression” has been at least partially responsible for making frugality a virtue. We praise people who scrimp and save who can “make do”.

When we read the parables, those folksy stories we all know so well, we forget how radical and even offensive they were to their first hearers. Jesus’ culture was very different from ours.

One of the definitions of “prodigal” is wasteful so in this story of the prodigal son we were probably always taught that the younger son was the wasteful one. He wasted this father’s hard earned money, his easy gotten inheritance. You may have heard the counter-argument that it was the father who was prodigal or wasteful with his love, showering it on someone who did not deserve it.

Both of those approaches to this parable about wastefulness, give us some insight into the parable and its meaning, but there is another level that I have been discovering in the last few years.

I recall the first time I read the statement, “Jesus told parables and Jesus was crucified’?” Wait a minute! I thought the two were unrelated. He was crucified because he told heart-warming little stories that taught us about God’s love?!!! Now, that makes NO sense!

However, that was certainly a part of it!

We are so familiar with Jesus’ parables that we forget how offensive they were to some people when he told them for the first time. When we look at the parable of the prodigal son we are looking at one of the clearest examples of “offensive.” Just about everyone in this parable acted in an offensive way - except perhaps the older brother. The actions of the younger so were offensive, to be sure, but the actions of the father were as well. These actions were NOT how things were supposed to happen. The father also broke all sorts of social conventions and taboos.

One of the definitions of Jesus’ culture was that it was a “shame / honour culture”. Actions either supported the honour of a family or caused shame and those actions were worthy of severe punishment, and sometimes, even of death.

In 2009 there was a horrible and bizarre accident in which three teenage girls and their step-mother were found drowned in a car submerged in the canal in Kingston, Ontario. The police quickly discovered that the car had been pushed into the water by another vehicle. After an investigation the police charged three FAMILY members with murder. The killings had been arranged by those members of the family because the people in the car had brought dishonour to the family name. The lives of the victims had not measured up to the standards of their father’s Afghani culture. But because this happened in Canada the courts charged the people responsible. I am told that in some cultures, so-called, “honour killings” are rarely prosecuted. The shame/ honour culture wins out over the lives of individuals.

While murder is an extreme example, we have to keep in mind that shame and honour were a big part of the culture in which Jesus lived and preached. The parable begins by reminding us that there were some who were very upset that Jesus was associating with sinners and even eating with them. He was treating these people like they had value, not like they had brought dishonour on their community and their faith. You just didn’t do that!

This parable is told in response to those complaints. If Jesus told a story of what should have happened, what would have happened in this parable? Well first off a son would NEVER go to his father and say, “I wish you were dead Old Man, give me my inheritance”. Asking for his inheritance was a “double insult”. Doing so while his father was still living amounted to a wish that his father was dead AND that he wanted to be free from any obligations to the family. He could have asked for money for a trip so he could have a youthful adventure, but no, he asked for his inheritance. BIG difference. Big, big, difference!

I have read that what should have happened was that HIS FATHER should have had him beaten, at the very least, and then have never spoken to him again.

Second, this is obviously a wealthy family with servants. They are not living pay cheque to pay cheque! This was a prominent family whose assets would have been held in herds and land. Selling such assets, in the volume we are talking should have involved negotiation and haggling and time. Selling quickly meant that he got “yard sale prices” for the work of a generation or more of his family. I’ve also read that other people of means and status would have avoided this kind of deal because of the dishonour he was bringing to his family.

Third- you see, the father should have been taken for a quick trip to a geriatrician, and declared incompetent for such actions. He would have been deemed no longer capable to manage his own affairs.

Fourth, a good Jewish boy would never have taken a job feeding pigs - remember they were unclean. Remember his family employed servants or owned slaves; they were not themselves servants and slaves. A good Jewish boy would not have squandered his family’s money with dissolute living - prostitutes, drinking, and who knows what else. At least this is what the older brother assumed he was doing. So not only did he turn his back on his family and hos social class but he turned his back on his religion and all the children of Israel.

Fifth: Shockingly, it seems that the father had not washed his hands of the younger son. We are told that he saw him coming while he was a far way off. Obviously he has been watching! Perhaps he had an inkling that this would happen; he did know his son after all ! I doubt his request was “out of the blue”; perhaps this son had shown his unhappiness even when he was too young to leave home. Perhaps the father knew that the kid would have to leave and hit rock bottom and then have to come back, if only he would have the courage to come back! I imagine the father praying every day for that result.

Sixth: The father threw off all dignity by running to greet his son. Older men did not run, ever! He should have sent a servant and made his wait for an audience. But he ran to meet him and even before the boy had a chance to deliver his carefully rehearsed apology he showered on him the signs of sonship. He gave him everything as if what he had done was of no consequence! The boy is given the symbols of belonging to the family - the robe and the ring AND HAD A FEAST IN HIS HONOUR. They even killed the “fatted calf” , not just a lamb or a goat! The fatted calf would have feds many people and have been reserved for a really big celebration like a wedding!

Think of a banquet with a caterer in one of those official chef hats, in a white coat, with a huge knife cutting your slab of beef off of what looks like and entire quarter of the animal.

Seventh: The older brother was, to put it mildly, irate. He was the one who had done everything right; and he had never been given a party. His bottled up resentment pours out all over the place - we cant really tell if this “letting off steam” was public or not. Family matters like this were always discussed in private.

But all of a sudden it is clear that the parable criticizes his attitude and supports the father’s actions. What would happen if all disgruntled sons acted this way. Society would fall apart and there would be anarchy and the ways of God would be ignored.

Clearly this parable teller doesn’t understand and needs to be dealt with! Clearly this popular carpenter turned rabbi needs to be stopped before he does any permanent damage.

This parable leads us to ask all sorts of question.

How do we regard grace and merit? Do we think that we deserve God’s grace while others, DO NOT?

(Pause)

BUT, THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE. How can grace be “deserved” - if it is, it is not grace, by definition!

I would think that most of us have been taught to value the efforts and work of the generations that have gone before us. We are told that they made sacrifices so we could have a better life. We are taught to “make our parents proud”. In many ways entire families can be judged by the actions of one member. And we have long memories.

I recall a conversation about a parishioner who had moved back to the community after being away almost his entire adult life. The person I was talking to said that she wouldn’t trust him because of something his mother had done many years before. I believe she took out a gun and shot someone’s cow which had escaped and wandered onto her lawn!

Of course, that way of thinking can work both ways! People are trusted because of who their father is, or get their first job based solely on their heritage.

Remember who your friends are and remember who your enemies are - and that last part, remember it FOREVER!

As Protestants we claim to “be saved by grace” but, in many cases, we certainly don’t want to extend that courtesy to those who clearly don’t deserve it! Such an attitude, of course, negates the entire concept of grace to begin with!

What kind of judges are we? When it comes to “people who do inappropriate or bad things, are we “throw the book at them and let them rot in jail” kind of people or are we a “bleeding hearts?” Do we equate this with being “soft on crime” to use the modern parlance.

Do we let people grow up and prove they have changed or do we keep reminding them of their youthful waywardness and how much it has cost in terms of money or community standing or even just worry and tears? Many people criticize young people who get in trouble with the law when the young people in question commit heinous crimes or when a not so young person commits a crime and it is revealed they have a record as a juvenile. One of the reasons we have different legislation for children is that they do not need to be made to pay for a youthful mistake for the rest of their lives especially when the crime was committed before the young person has the capacity to think things through and understand the possible outcomes of a particular action. Teenagers do stupid stuff and sometimes the only difference between an adult who once did stupid stuff and a n’er-do-well is having someone to believe in them.

I was at a meeting of clergy types on Tuesday and we were asked to reflect on this question, “if I could go back in time, what would I say to my 20 year old self”. I suppose it was a way of placing ourselves in the very familiar parable in a novel way. It was a way of seeing our life choices with the benefit of further years of experience. One of my colleagues online Tuesday was over 70 and another under 30. That one fact alone would give each of those a different take on what one might say to their own 20 year old self.

I recall a tv show, a long time ago, in which a person was given an opportunity to go back and change a particular decision and change their path in life. Of course, it was TV so all of them were successful and it changed their life for the better!

If we could do it all over again - in the light of this parable, and we can relate to the father in this parable would we BECOME like this one - forgiving the wrongs committed? Or would we still forvive and restore even though it did not work out? Or if we relate to the older brother would we still be like that older son or one of the listening Pharisees or would we change our clothes and join the party. If we can relate more to the poor choices and the waywardness of the younger son, would we still tell the old man off and have our fun, or would we give our head a shake and realize the love that held us close regardless.

The reality is that when Jesus invites us to dinner, we will be there with all sorts of people, equally valued and equally loved. Wouldn’t it be better if we felt that everyone, including ourselves, were just where they were supposed to be?

Amen.

Isaiah 43: 16-21
Psalm 126

John 12: 1-8

Shocking Behaviour

One afternoon I was doing a little bit of marriage preparation, with just the bride. She told me of his marriage proposal. From what I recall, it involved an elaborate guided tour, some of it in a boat, during which she was given “stamps” like you would receive on your passport when you clear customs and enter a new country. It involved a number of other people such as musicians singing and playing love songs. At the end of the tour the “stamps” amounted to a proposal. She was captivated by the amound of effort that had gone into what was a guaranteed, “yes”.

On the TV show, Call the Midwife, the local curate, Rev Tom Hereward, hires a carousel (or merry go round) as a wedding gift because of one of his bride’s childhood memories of her father’s extravagant gift of a carousel ride when they were quite poory.

Some people just don’t, or can’t, “do” lavish. They live simply and don’t have anything that could be considered a “luxury”.

We all have different ideas of what is lavish, what is normal, and what is required for a satisfactory life. Some go through life unhappy because they can never reconcile their “champagne tastes” and their “beer budget”.

I hesitate to mention the Academy Awards but it is always a lavish display of wealth by the members of entertainment industry seeking to promote themselves. The “red carpet” is an opportunity to wear some of the most gorgeous gowns money can buy, and if you want my opinion, some of the most hideous! Normal folks are often in awe of this glamour and envious of it.

I hesitated to mention it because of the incident at this year’s awards, televised just last week. I’ll say no more about that! Because of the attacks on various cities in Ukraine, millions of people have fled for their lives. Some people have been able to take their pets with them as they sought cover in make-shift bomb shelters, or fled the country, but many pets were left to fend for themselves.

Enter a Canadian veterinarian. He went to Ukraine to care for the injured and abandoned animals who needed the care and attention of a professional.

Offers of transportation and even accommodation for the human refugees, and perhaps some of their pets, are coming from many nearby countries. Early on people from places like Germany were just driving to the Poland - Ukraine border and offering a place to stay - to random strangers. Families are leaving baby strollers at train stations in Poland for strangers to use. All over Canada and many other countries peoople are packing container loads of everyday items for people who have had to leave it all behind. I was on a Zoom call with a colleague on Tuesday who spoke of a Ukranian family who recently came to Canada and that their boy was provided with a soccer uniform so he can do what the other Canadian kids in his new town are doing, make friends, and “have a childhood”.

Last week I talked about lavish expressions of love and forgiveness, such as was offered by a father to his son in the familiar parable usually referred to as, “the Prodigal Son.”

Today’s passage has Jesus as the recipient of the lavish gift, with Judas playing the role of the “older brother;” cheesed off that someone has gotten something he did not! His excuse that it could have been used to help the poor is presented as just that! The Gospel writer tells us that he used to steal money from the common purse!

Of course, the emotion of this event, is wrapped up in their proximity to the last showdown in Jerusalem and once the events of that first Holy Week took place, it was impossible for anyone who believed in Jesus, to tell any story about Judas without bias! So we have to remember this when we read any of the gospels’ stories of Jesus’ last days.

Yet, this event has a much broader application than just Jesus’ death on the cross and Judas’ sour attitude.

As I was writing this sermon I thought of the various “Wish foundations” for seriously ill children and their families. Practically speaking, funding research into serious and fatal diseases in children, or providing state of the art hospital equipment, would seem to be much more important than a trip to a far away theme park or something else not every family can afford. Yet, there is something priceless about putting a smile on the face of a child who does not have many smiles and giving the families, memories of a loved one that don’t involve painful procedures and the side effects of treatments like chemotherapy.

You can find just about anything on Facebook. Some comments drive me crazy and I am usually successful at not getting dragged into an un-winnable debate. There is one “category” of complaint I can’t leave alone, however. It usually goes like this: “Someone has gotten a perk or benefit that should have gone to someone else.” The last one I remember was about new benefits to families with young children while seniors have not received an Old Age Security upgrade in a long time! And I agree, to a point. I sometimes get the impression that the complainer wants the benefit taken away from the first group and given to the second. My response to these sorts of Facebook posts is that we should do both. We can welcome refugees and provide a better standard of living for our working poor. We can take care of some problems at home and still give foreign aid!

I think it’s a TV commercial. Somehow the Dad informs all of his kids that he has died and they all rush home for the funeral. When they arrive they discover the dinner table set for a feast and dad, quite healthy. It was, he said, the only way he could get them to visit.

In my ministry I have done a lot of funerals and been with a lot of families as a loved one was dying. I have seen a lot of people go to extraordinary means to show their love, before it’s too late. Sometime, it is a wake up call, that life is fragile and merits attention BEFORE it is gone or about to be. But my advice is, “don’t wait till your loved one is dying or has died before you go out of your way to express love and appreciation or to mend fences.”

In today’s Gospel story, Mary spends a great deal of money on perfume for a foot massage - and Jesus defends the extravagance. John’s gospel sees the perfume as a symbolic choice, but its hard to tell if this is exactly what Mary had in mind, consciously. She is presented in the gospel of John as the spiritual, contemplative one, while Martha was the practical, task oriented one.

Perhaps Mary had realized something to which the other disciples seemed oblivious - that Jesus was going to die - he had upset too many people of power with his message of love. The “word on the street” was one of danger, unrest and volatility. Something was going to happen, something bad, she just knew it.

The comment about the poor always being there has long been used to diminish or downgrade the Church’s ministry to the poor (in favour of prayer, or worship or more obvious forms of spirituality) BUT that is not the context. Certainly, the very early church had a ministry to the widows and orphans of their community; it came to be vitally important. Certainly the church attended to those other things as well.

Seize the moment. Sometimes special circumstances call for heartfelt action. Sometimes extravagance does not involve any money at all! Many years ago an elderly relative was in hospital and her husband brought her some of her favourite flowers. She knew that they grew in only one place on their farm; a place hard to reach for an older man with many health and mobility issues. She knew that the effort to pick the flowers was a large part of the gift.

A parishioner was not at all surprised that her elderly husband drove through a snow storm to visit her in hospital. The drive was part of the gift.

We sing hymns such as “open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth you have for me” and as we sing we pray for insight - insight into our relationship with God but also, I hope, our relationship with others.

Lent is not all about Jesus’ death; it’s also being aware of the many ways we are called to die to old ways and rise to new life. It’s about looking at our lives and our relationships and embracing the changes we are called to make.

To what actions is the Lord of Life calling you this day? It does not matter that no one else understands or “gets it” - the recipients will know and together you will rejoice.’

Amen.

Luke 19: 28-40
Psalm 31:

A number of years ago, when I was working in PEI, I would visit my family about once a week. One day my niece asked me, “Did you hear that I am going to Florida in 2 months?” Her aunt, uncle and cousins lived in Florida. My niece and her mother were going there for a visit and coming back with the grandmother who had spend the winter there! I had not heard, and she was excited to tell me all about it! The next time I was there it was, “did you know I’m going to Florida in 7 weeks?”

“Yes, you told me that”. The next visit it was, “did you know I’m going to Florida in 6 weeks.” EVERY time I visited she told me she was going to Florida; the count-down was on. When it finally became, “THIS WEEK” she was beyond excited. Nothing could have silenced her. Now that a trip to Europe and a time spent practice teaching in Sweden are behind her, it is Aunt Beth who has to ASK about her planned travels.

“I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out!”

I recall being on vacation in northern New Brunswick on election day in 1987. When the results were announced the roads literally came to life. People were driving around, honking their horns, squealing their tires and generally creating mayhem. In that election, Frank McKenna’s Liberals won EVERY one of the 58 seats in the Legislative Assembly. I suppose the Liberals were celebrating and the Progressive Conservatives were expressing their profound disappointment. I decided it was not safe to be on the roads and stayed in. There’s nothing quite like politics to get people upset, or excited. “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out!”

In Ottawa late this past winter there was trucker mayhem. Clogging streets barely able to accommodate city busses, thousands of tractor trailers which had travelled to the Nation’s capital to protest COVID restrictions, basically moved in and caused as much disruption as possible. Hot tubs and bouncy castles popped up as bored people tried to find stuff for their children to do - or to keep themselves occupied. “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out!”

2011 was the year of the now infamous Stanley Cup Riot in Vancouver when the Canucks lost the Cup to the visiting Bruins, in Game 7. “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out!”

We all know something about the mob mentality. When a mob is takes over the response to an event, normally law-abiding people can go berserk. People who would not normally express emotions in such a way can take part in breaking windows, overturning cars and setting stuff on fire.

The scriptures tell us that Jesus entered Jerusalem, riding on donkey that had never been ridden before that day. In and of itself that would have given some excitement to this informal parade. Normally this event is pictured as a very quiet ride for Jesus, but think about that for a moment. An untrained colt. I’ve ridden a horse or two, always with a saddle and always a horse that was accustomed to being ridden. But only once have I ridden a donkey. Trust me, they are very bony and uncomfortable creatures to ride. A few cloaks would not have added much protection between the bony back of a donkey and Jesus’ backside.

Elsewhere we are told that the people were shouting and praising God. What could be heard above the din was the word “hosanna”. Hosanna. Hosanna. Save us now!

The scriptures tell us that some of the Jewish leaders asked Jesus to silence the crowds who were shouting with joy that Jesus was the very one they had been waiting for - for so long. Jesus’ response was that he could do nothing to silence them, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out!”

This was a feel good kind of day, but, I hate to remind you, it didn’t last.

On Palm Sunday Jesus and the disciples seem to be on top of the world. Prophecies by long ago prophets seem to be being fulfilled in Jesus and maybe, just maybe, they are getting somewhere. BUT, by Friday the crowd, presumably some of the same people, were shouting for the release of the criminal Barabbas and demanding Jesus be crucified. Had the stones fallen silent?

Why Barabbas? He was a convicted criminal, after all.

Remember that they lived under a heavy and brutal occupation. Think of the stories we are seeing and hearing from the mainstream media about atrocities in the occupied areas of Ukraine! People tied up and shot in the back. Women being raped and then shot. Children dead. We see it on TV and we can easily imagine what Jesus’ friends and neighbours feared.

In a way, Barabbas was their kind of guy; one of the folks who had actually risked everything to protest the Romans and their abuse of power. We have been told that, egged on by the religious leaders, who wanted Jesus dead, the crowd soon shouted for Barabbas. Perhaps they reasoned that since Jesus had yet to “step up” and take charge of a movement to get rid of the Romans - he wasn’t going to save them after all. Maybe they should give this Barabbas another chance! We never hear from him again, in fact, we are only told about him!

We all know that it’s not easy to be in the midst of a crowd and to be the only one who is of a different opinion! You don’t want to be shouted down, or booed, or to just be the one who does not receive applause for your comments at a community meeting. You have probably had similar experience to mine with meetings over the closure of schools, hospital cutbacks, bridge repairs, solid waste management (which sounds so much better than ‘a garbage meeting’!) and a host of other things that come along from time to time. We all know that when the booing (or the shouting) starts the meeting has lost its ability to gather the feelings of the community together. Wise ones know that the mob cannot be allowed to take over!

So they managed to have Barabbas released and Jesus’ sentenced to death! And, of course, that sentence would be carried out by Friday.

One of the questions for us, 2,000 or so years later is, “how do we turn, too quickly often, from being fearless disciples, to either cowering in silence or actively going against the principles we profess to follow and believe?

I think that the crowd was easy to turn because they had seen the Messiah as a political leader who would lead a revolt to put a son of David back on the throne of Israel. When it became clear that he was not going to do this, they thought there was no use in supporting Jesus. I said this just a few minutes ago.

We have a completely different context today. We don’t seek a government by religious leaders! In a pluralistic society how would we ever agree on the principles - we have more Christian churches in this area than I have ever seen anywhere else! They are all different. Which church would get “the say”.

But the question about what we want from Jesus is still a valid one, if we broaden it a little. What do we want from our faith, or participation in a faith community? Do we come to church to rub elbows with the right people so that we will be successful in business? Do we come to be seen as “like minded” or “good living” or “religious” or “trustworthy” people. Do we believe and participate in a faith community just so that we will get into heaven when we die and not suffer the fires of hell, FOREVER? Is that our main goal?

Once we make the decision not to be “so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good” and not to be “looking out only for our own interests”, we run the risk of being un-popular, or of being criticized, or worse.

If our belief and our participation is more outward looking - more focussed on the “other” we have to decide what or who we are going to support..

I’ve heard a few people over the years say, “I don’t get anything out of church. I’ve quit going.” But Church and faith is not a vending machine - we are not the kind of medical practitioner who has promised to “fix you up”. Why, even a vending machine needs to have you put something into it!

When we participate in Christian community, and follow in the way of Jesus of Nazareth we can have life changing choices presented to us. Indeed we should have these choices presented to us. Being Christian is not a one hour a week activity but one that should be part of our lives 24/7.

One of my fundamental beliefs is that those of us who answer the call to follow Jesus are not in it just for ourselves, but also for living out our love for God and for others. I cannot help but think of the words of the former US President, John F Kennedy, who once said, “ask not what your country can do for you, but rather, what you can do for your country.” Ask not what Jesus can do for you, but what you can do for the gospel of Jesus and the people Jesus loves.

While we do separate church and state in Canada, I do not believe we should separate our life of faith from our political or social lives. In exercising our vote, for example, do we vote for those who will promote programs that show a balance of those loves: of God, other and self? Or, when we make our “X” are we just voting for the party whose promises support ourselves or our group? Do we vote for the platform that we feel is right even if it will cost us?

One of the hot button issues these days is the environment, and the carbon tax. But these kinds of issues have been part of life and politics since before I was old enough to vote. I think of things like mandating more fuel efficiency or pollution controls in vehicles. When it saves on gas it is an easy win-win but when it costs more for the extra gadgets on a car to increase fuel efficiency or decrease pollution, are we still in favour of that.

What is it worth to us to get a handle on global warming and how do we balance that with the need to produce more and more food per acre in order to feed a hungry planet and to survive in farming? You can live without your own car in many cities but in Saskatchewan your life would be severely curtailed, especially with no bus system. We might be able to set up an electric car charging grid but electric swathers? Combines? Stewardship of Gods gift of this northern prairie is not a simple thing.

The United Church has long been known for sticking its neck out for unpopular causes. As some have said, “we go where angels fear to tread”. The General Council is the only body that can speak for the entire United Church. A General Council is an elected body of church members, comprised of lay people and clergy, from every Regional Council in our church, who gather every three years or so, to make decisions and speak for our church. I have been selected as a Commissioner to this General Council and we are meeting through the internet platforms called “PheedLoop” and “Zoom” because the planning team was not sure what COVID would allow in terms of a face to face meeting at a central location in a country as vast as ours.

This part is very important: the General Council makes decisions, not based on opinion polls, but upon how each commissioner feels called and led by the Spirit.

One of the major issues we are struggling with this summer is how we can help to achieve a just peace in Palestine and Israel. This issue has evaded wise minds since the creation of the State of Israel after WWII and it became apparent that a) the so-called “Arab states” did not want Israel to exist, and b) that the state of Israel was growing in size and more and more Palestinian people were being pushed off of land which had sustained them for generations. We tried to address it ten years ago, when I was a commissioner to General Council 41 which met in Ottawa. Our proceedings were broadcast over the internet and were, thus, very public. We had people, trying to sway our opinions, handing out leaflets, as we entered the building where we met for our plenary sessions. We had impassioned speakers from both sides, and a few points in-between. We had to think carefully and prayerfully because the lines between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are often blurry and easily misunderstood.

Pray for us, please as we struggle once again with what is the faithful decision.

I believe we are called to live in the world as disciples of Jesus and see our discipleship as affecting everything we do. Well, the colour you paint your living room, or your brand of toothpaste, might not have much to do with your faith - BUT how we live from day to day certainly does.

I could write a hundred sermons on how our faith impacts our daily lives, outside of what is obviously religious, but I would run out of steam long before I was done and even those lovely pew cushions would seem rather thin long before I was finished.

A lot of us are on Facebook and if you want to cause a “virtual riot,” just post the “wrong thing” on Facebook or disagree with the wrong person.

I saw a meme (or a facebook poster) a while ago which asked people to filter a post through this “filter”. Think about what you want to say, and ask, “Is it kind, is it loving and is it necessary?”

As the season of Lent draws to a close we are asked to make decisions about our commitment to the way of Jesus. Are we on this path for our own needs? Are we on this path to make a difference in the lives of those who are hurting and vulnerable? Are we being loving?

The Spirit has a way of lighting fires, not the kind of fires which burn down buildings and destroy property (like a mob might) but to set US on fire, from within, so that when we feel compelled to proclaim our faith in Jesus the Christ, nothing can stop us.

Amen!